To skate or not to skate, that is the question — plus Dan Boyle talks about minutes and mistakes

The Sharks had a practice scheduled for this morning but it turns out the only players on the ice were Mike Moore, Derek Joslin, Jamal Mayers and the two goalies, Antti Niemi and Antero Niittymaki.

Todd McLellan explained the situation this way:

“I didn’t like the way we skated last night. But we have to figure out as a team, have we overskated the past six or seven days because of practices or have we under-skated? Sometimes when you practice as much as you do, you forget that they’re on the ice for the full hour and 15-20 minutes skating vs. eight to 22 minutes in a game.

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“If it doesn’t rectify itself,” he said, “we’ll rev up the skating.”

*****Mayers, by the way, skated for only the second time since returning from Sweden, but is getting closer to returning to the lineup after suffering an upper body (read: arm) injury in the pre-season. Joslin still has a long way to go, though his damaged upper-body part (read: thumb) has been surgically repaired.

*****Dan Boyle leads the team with an average of 27:32 in ice time through the first three games, third highest in the NHL.

And while he knows his play was subpar against Atlanta, neither he nor his coach see any connection between that and the amount of time he’s out there.

“I don’t know if it’s the start of the season or just being rusty, but I didn’t quite feel comfortable overall,” said Boyle, noting that he’s been playing big minutes for years now.

The play that had him kicking himself was the one late in the third period that led to Atlanta’s insurance goal. Boyle was pinching in on the play that quickly went the other way as a 3-on-1 break with Marc-Edouard Vlasic the lone defender back.

“The fourth goal was an absolutely terrible decision on my part. I think that’s kind of where the team is, rushing a play and not bearing down. That’s a play I should not make and that’s probably just a little bit of rust.

“The mistake,” he added, “wasn’t pinching in. The mistake was throwing a backhander on the ice. I had nightmares about it last night. It was a very poor decision and a poor play. That’s not something I normally do, but it has nothing to do with playing the 27th minute.”

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Boyle also got turned around on the play that led to Atlanta’s first goal when a rebound went through his legs right to the stick of Andrew Ladd.

“The first goal, that’s just one of those hockey situations where the puck could go anywhere else, but it goes right through my feet and spins me around,” Boyle said. “Obviously I could have been in better position there. From the stands, it’s ‘Why can’t he just take that guy?’ But you can’t get just man-focused. You have to know where the puck is, too. It wasn’t a good play, but I’m more upset about the fourth goal.”

******McLellan continues to be unhappy with the lack of five-on-five scoring. And no, last night’s even strength deflection by Clowe when the teams were four-on-four isn’t the same.

Different strategies, different plays, explained McLellan as far as the difference between even-strength situations.

“We can sit there and talk about, ‘Geeze, you’ve outshot teams and you’ve out-chanced teams and all that type of stuff.’ That doesn’t do us any good when you look at the standings and the point accumulation,” the coach said. “Eventually we need all of our players to bear down on their opportunities.”

*****McLellan did mess with his defense pairings and line combinations late in the loss to Atlanta, but declined to say what the set-up will be when his players do return to the ice tomorrow.

And he said the decision on which goalie will be in nets against Carolina hasn’t been made yet.

David Pollak

David Pollak has been following the NHL forever and at the Mercury News as an editor or reporter since 1987. For almost a decade he wrote about the Sharks as the paper's Fan in the Stands before joining the sports department in 2001. He became the Sharks beat writer before the 2007-08 season and began this blog at that time. You can also follow him on Twitter at @PollakOnSharks.

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With all of the whining this offseason, who would have thought it’d be our top D line (and top D man) and the lack of 5on5 scoring, that would be the issues in this game.

danryn2742

Thanks for the update DP. They did look a little rusty in their decision making last night. Hopefully they shake it off soon.
A couple questions maybe you can pass along when you get the chance. Could you ask Frazer Mac if he thought the announcer forgot his name last night during the opening? There was a real awkward pause and he kinda smirked for a second and they finally said his name. I thought it was funny.
Also, can you find out what other Sharks have a twitter account besides Logan and Frazer? Maybe they can talk the Joes and Clowe into getting on that as well. Thanks.

danryn2742

Also, maybe you can get one as well? That is unless you already do.

Tano

In the big scheme of things, will this statement by Boyle:

“The fourth goal was an absolutely terrible decision on my part. I think that’s kind of where the team is, rushing a play and not bearing down. That’s a play I should not make and that’s probably just a little bit of rust.”

be considered a self trolling and not be a cool thing to do in this forum?

lighten up boys and girls, last time I looked nobody holds the absolute truth in this place…we just have personal opinions, and we should celebrate all opinions, whether we like them or not….

SharkFin

I’m with Tano. All opinions, whether you agree with them, like them or not or find them cerebral/intelligent enough should be celebrated. It’s a blog, it’s hockey. Have fun- everyone, whatever side you come down on.

GP

Tano,

OK, now I need to blame myself for not framing the context correctly. I guarantee you last night when I thought I was more clear than I was. I can still say that more of the regulars understand or understood the context — especially considering the post content of the one berating individuals for having an opinion.

GP

When Nick said he thought Wallin and Huskins played a good game, was he trolling? When hockeyrocks said he thought Boyle had a bad game, was he trolling? No for Both. And was not the intent I was attempting to point out. So apologies…

When someone said “…you thought Wallin and Huskins had a good game? You must be related to Wilson?” The tone is an intended insult because of the concluded opinion that the author does not like DW.

This is trolling because the commentor is wanting and expecting a reaction, kind, or better yet, unkind.

a so-called “regular” on this board is nothing more than a mgmt defending , self-appointed criticism monitor whose main purpose in life is to deflect all negative posts about the can-do-no-wrong Sharks.

the so-called “regulars” are the biggest problem on here. period. and now they will try to cover up their role by attacking this post and the poster. guaranteed.

SharkBabe

Still trying to figure out, if Niittymaki is 17-0 against the Thrashers, why Niemi was out there last night?

rock

DEFENSE WAS PATHETIC……………FIRE DW NOW RITE NOW…….FIRE DW RITE NOW

stone

haha. punks they are, that’s for sure.

SharkFin

Hoping for a better game vs. the ‘Canes on Tuesday but it may take a little more time and routine for the Sharks to get really crisp. I like TMac experimenting with the lines now realizing that it may lead to more apparent rustiness in the short term due to unfamiliarity.

Pattie seems a little absent so far compared to last year. Noticed that Joe took a shot last night that I swear last year would have been a pass. Hope he keeps it up.

GP

Sharkbabe,

Can’t speak as to why Niemi or Nitty. Decisions like this won’t come down stats like that, especially when players were on other teams when those #s were recorded.

But, after the fact, the way the Sharks played last night, it really might not have mattered. The goalie wasn’t the issue IMO.

sharkfreak17

I was at the game last night. To be completely honest, I wasn’t too impressed with the team. Mitchell was a stud (I always believed in him, despite the naysayers of recent months), and Nichol was working hard as always. Other than that, though, there wasn’t a lot to brag about. I definitely wasn’t impressed with Niemi. I’m not still bitter about last season, but he needs to prove to me why we want him. He had some good glove saves, but those 4 goals…..Nabby could’ve stopped at least a couple of those. And I have to say, I’m missing Malhotra.

Oh well, the season just started. The team wasn’t at its best, but it’s still early.

I agree with GP that I don’t think Niemi was the issue. I couldn’t determine too much from his performance last night. The 1st and 4th goals definitely weren’t his fault. Maybe he should have had the second- maybe. Real issue seemed to be turnovers, not putting the biscuit in the basket, and not moving their feet- all will hopefully come.

Tristan

Last nights game sucked. Oh well no big deal.

I don’t think many people care that much about the Sharks at this moment. We’re going to the playoffs, and it’s hard to care with the Giants doing so well.

MarkDaShark

Was up in 207 last night, Sharks were slow to the puck, thats for sure, but still 79 games to go, so I will not ask that anyone be fired at this point.

I agree entirely on Niemi, he had some solid saves, who knows what would have happened had Nitty been in net, it’s pure speculation.

Atlanta came tired but still managed to dominate a great portion of the game, after the first ten minutes it was pretty obvious that Atlanta had forgotten that they had a late night. Our boys were not as ready as Atlanta was, plenty of things to work on, on Tuesday we will see if some of the lessons are sinking in and they can find a better rythm for most of the game.

Simonvine

I think it was smart to put Niemi in the net against his three former teammates. But I agree with SF17; he is looking really slow and has appeared almost unmotivated. I hope he wakes up.

TankGirl

SO glad I wasn’t able to get to my computer last night. It wouldn’t have been pretty.

Tano: Yep. Atlanta forgot they had a late night like our guys didn’t forget they had a week off. *Sigh!* Oh well.

Maybe the wrong “Anty-N” was in goal last night? Just maybe. Not to say he was bad the whole night. And honestly, I kind of agree with GP – I don’t think it wasn’t all him (in other words, hello D-men?).

And getting my teflon vest ready…considering all the blueline guys, I think Wallin and Huskins had a good game, too. Go figure…and that’s all I’m going to say about the D-line for now other than, sadly, I think that’ll be where my critic’s eye will be drifting for most of the season. Hope they give me better reasons to look back there sooner than later.

So glad I can use one of my favorite lines again while watching games: “Fly, Torrey Mitchell, Fly!”. It’s really great to see his speed back! and I really missed being able to say that.

This will be a interesting season.

TankGirl

Thank you for the great stuff in your last few posts…as always, DP!

Boonedog

Niemi wasn’t the problem last night. The recurring theme of this season is going to be the lack of a true #1 defensemen to eat up minutes. Sharks have lots of #2’s, and lower but not a stud shut down defensemen. It is readily apparent that one will have to be picked up as the season wears on.

Sharks looked flat as was to be expected after a long layoff so not too worried about them winning their share of games. Will see how this season unfolds and see what moves will need to be made as we move on. Expecting a better game against Carolina.

sharkfreak17

Just as a “for the record”, defense was yuck too.

J

Someone just needs to tell TMac his Defense is terrible and to push all blame to upper management.

GP

first goal:
SH, started from a giveaway in the offensive zone on the PP.

2nd goal:
even str, started from a giveaway in the neutral zone

3rd goal:
Thasher PP

4th goal:
giveaway deep in the offensive zone, turned into a 3 on 1.

3 of 4 Goals given up from transition, this was a team defense problem. The Dmen and the goalie are simply the last line of defense but always the guys singled out first.

Nick

This one game every two weeks stuff makes it feel like the season hasn’t even started yet.

g-man

Sometimes when a team has a lot of change in d-man personel, and also scrambles all the offensive lines, it doesn’t work out so good. We got thrashed!
Tmac might want to go back to having two strong top scoring lines, a mixed third line, and an energy/checking line in the four spot. Worked well last year, why re-invent the wheel?
Could the season please start off more slowly? I can’t handle the hectic pace so far….So fun to watch Dallas and the Kings win, while the Sharks practice, and practice, and practice….
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ…

ice

i still have yet to catch a game due to being out of town the last two weekends, but here is what i have gathered from the good ol’ WTC comment section:

1) thornton’s 200K paycut is NOTHING since he makes so much money in the first place. not that it matters anyway, since he will never win a cup for the sharks

2) wallin and huskins suck/dont suck/suck/dont suck/suck/dont suck

3) sharks are a little rusty after playing two games over seas to open the season then taking a week off.

4) DW doesnt know anything about how to sign defensive players and is a horrible GM

5) Randy and Drew talked about the thornton signing too much (even though he is the captain, he’s a star player, and its kind of a big deal)

6) its only october

i see WTC has picked up where it left off last year….

icehawkey

glad boyler admittedhis subppar play in thee game and his terrrible decision to lead to 4th goal. stand up guy. hope pickles knowws how bbad he screwed up on that play too. all he had to do was take away the pass by taking the wide man so goalie can play the shot since it would be puck carriers only option. instead pickles skated between the 2 plllayers and watched the pass get completed and then his goalie get scored on while trying to get across. boyle was ppressing to get a leaxd and made an aggressivve mistake but the intent was there. vlasic fforgot hockey 101. hope thats not a trend but hes looked lost in all 3 games. sharks completely dominated puck possession and scoring chances but didnt finish. we let the other team counter attack and score on giveaways. same old problem. the forwards were the problem cuz they didnt score and crreated giveaays that lead to chances the other way. chemistry with new lines and pariring just aint there yet and no wonder with the quirky schedule so far. i do NOT miss manny. he couldnt score if the goal was a soccer sized one. see his breakaway attempt last night? vancouver deserves him and his bloated contract. nichol is a better energizer. i like watching mitchell now too. speed kills and with him and marleau it really opens things up with other team wary offff our team speed. juicy is a keeper for sure. i think hes could be the next patty and demers the next boyle. why doesnt tmac know who he playing in net !ext? niemi was medocre at best. shouldnt frank have his turn? wouldnt it make sense to rotate ffor now to see what weve got?

icehawkey

sorry. this phones keyboard suuuuuuucks!

bball

Niemi was not the problem? Did anyone actually watch the game? He was HORRENDOUS. It’s a miracle that more goals were not scored on us. How many times did he deflect the rebound right down the slot? More times then I care to count. I looked up the word overrated in the dictionary. His picture was right there. I agree that our defense could have been better but to give up 4 shots in the first and 8 in the second, your goalie has to be a little (read: a LOT) better then the effort given there.

TankGirl

Just my observation:
I think one thing to note (and it may or may not prove true as the season goes on) is that Nabby was a LOT better than we often gave him credit for here in that he was a good enough goalie to make up for the inconsistencies of the D guys in the last few years. Granted, Nabby had some 5-hole issues, but now with the “Anty-Ns”, they have goalies that may (and from all indications so far, will) depend on them as much as they depend on him/them, the D actually has to step up and play with more consistency. It’ll be interesting if they can step up with the existing D corps, or if it’ll show that new personnel really will be needed later in the season. Either way, they’ll need to step up and support the Gs, rather than expecting the Gs to do the majority of the backend support. It seems they’ll also need to have the front guys be better about their defensive play, which could be problematic since the front guys will really need to be scoring to give a cushion on the other end of the spectrum.

It may be an adjustment period for the first 25-30% of the season as they realize what they’d/they’ve been taking for granted and learn to step up and play – not that they never have or don’t ever play well, just that they haven’t been doing so with regularity and dependency.

Just my two cents early. Lots of hockey still left to play…

TankGirl

Oops! I meant ‘dependability’ on that last sentence. They don’t need to be dependent. Too much of that already. 😉

sharkfan

Sharks seem to miss the 20+ solid minutes per game from Rob Blake. Hard to match Rob’s level of experience, contribution and instinct – unless you invest in a guy soon.

bruce

I thought Niemi was solid and lucky vs. Sharks in playoffs. The ‘Hawks d-men cover up a lot of mistakes. Besides the aforementioned rebounds in the slot, I’ve noticed 2 things in his style that don’t bode well for his success on this team:

a)He is very slow to go from post to post even though his long legs almost touch each when he goes down , but once he goes down, he stays down

2)Although he’s at least 3or 4 inches taller than Nabby he gives up the top corners immediately on every shot by playing on his knees.

I hope these weaknesses can be rectified or we may be in for a long, frustrating season.
Also, no stats on hand but don’t teams starting the season in Europe(or Japan!) traditionally have a slow and shaky start whence returning home? Hope that’s the case.

GP

bruce,

I think that there is imperical evidence that teams starting off shore have some issues getting going.

I think we’re seeing that no matter the record in the standings. The team isn’t very sharp, disorganized at times, and all with a bit less intensity. Playing only 2 diff teams over 3 games in 9 days and 9 time zones definitely contribute IMO. The team as a whole, with all this as a contribution, hasn’t really been ready for the 60 minute game. I’m not expecting the team to gel and be dominate like we are use to seeing until Thanksgiving.

Nick

I agree with the other Nick–A week off between games just feels wrong 😛

The Sharks have always been a team that does better on the second night of a back to back than in a game after 3 days off. They do best when they’ve got one or two days between games. *shrugs* We’ll see how things turn out.

The bottom line is that it’s the regular season. Anyone who doubts they’re going to get anything less than 8th place in the conference is in need of percocet. And fundamentally, there lay the number one problem with being a Sharks fan: It’s hard to get worked up over the regular season. If they get 100+ points and win the President’s Trophy, or if they squeak into the 8-seed with 81 points on the last night… It’s all the same in the end.

wupuck

Sharks need more scoring from the blue line. Demers is in there because of his offensive abilities w/ the puck, but he still green on the defensive side of the puck (i.e. he wouldn’t be in there otherwise)